After instances where members of the U.K. Parliament have been harassed and intimidated by anti-Israel activists, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told police chiefs he wants an “immediate response” to protests at the homes of members of Parliament (MPs).”
“There is a growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule. And we’ve got to collectively, all of us, change that urgently,” Sunak said on Wednesday. “We simply cannot allow this pattern of increasingly violent and intimidatory behavior which is, as far as anyone can see, intended to shout down free debate and stop elected representatives doing their job. That is simply undemocratic.”
“I am going to do whatever it requires to protect our democracy and our values that we all hold dear,” he continued. “That is what the public expect. It is fundamental to our democratic system. And also it is vital for maintaining public confidence in the police.”
Sunak also said that the police should take a “consistent and robust approach … to protect our democratic processes from intimidation, disruption, from subversion.”
On Tuesday, the British Home Office announced a $39 million package to be implemented for protecting MPs.
More than 10 MPs, all of whom said they wanted to remain anonymous, told Reuters that abuse directed at them since the October 7 Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis had grown more intense. One of the MPs said the abuse prompted them to not seek another term in Parliament.
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An MP from the Labour Party said that after he was accused of being a “genocide enabler” and having “blood on your hands” in a town in his constituency, he now tries to sit near the door on public transportation. “It feels like it could just need one spark to flip from someone giving you tuppence (criticism) in the street to escalating to actual violence,” he said. He revealed police told him to install a partition at his constituency or voting district office in order to prevent someone from masking a sudden attack. He said a huge email campaign had been launched to target MPs.
Conservative MP Mike Freer, who had defended Israel, decided to step down from Parliament after a series of incidents targeting him.
One MP said, “I have had conversations with two colleagues about wearing stab vests to meetings. This is a very recent development.”